All major projects in the City of Beverly Hills are required to have a preconstruction meeting with the City Building Official designees prior to the commencement of work. Certain building permits will not be issued until a pre-construction meeting is conducted. The Beverly Hills Municipal Code states under amendment to Section 305.9 titled Required Inspections And Tests. A pre-construction meeting with the city and the project personnel will be required prior to beginning any new building or when required by the city. Pre-construction meetings are required for projects determined to have an impact on the community, neighbors, or tenants.(Beverly Hills Municipal Code section 9-1-104 amends the Uniform Administrative Code section 305.9)

What is a pre-construction meeting?A preconstruction meeting is a brief overview of City construction requirements and any additional project requirements that were necessary for the project approval. All involved City staff members use these meeting to introduce themselves as discipline contacts throughout the project and also discuss the specific criteria for each discipline to the home owner and hired construction team. Additionally, the meeting provides the construction team insight needed on how to schedule inspections, construction working hours, and requirements needed to prevent project delays.

How long is the pre-construction meeting? Meeting duration?The pre-construction meeting is typically set for one (1) hour period. Larger projects may extend longer.

Should the City Building Official or designed representatives determine and provide a Notice of Demolition and Construction Sign for your project, the sign provided shall be and remain posted on the property in a location readily visible at all times. The sign must be filled out in its entirety and be maintained filled out throughout the duration of the project. Maintenance shall include, but not be limited to, reprinting faded ink, fastening, visibility, etc…

Business Identification signs are defined as signs used for indicating that a business remains open during remodeling.

Provisions for business ID signs are summarized as follows:

When a business remains open while remodeling its premises, and a construction barricade is required, one large business identification sign may be placed on the construction barricade adjacent to the entrance to the business.

This sign shall not exceed twelve (12) square feet in area. For example, a 3’x4’ sign would be okay, but a 3’x5’ sign would not.

The sign may only contain:

The name of the business

A company logo

The fact that the business is remaining opening during the remodeling.

An advertisement for a new business coming to the site, containing only the name of the business, a company logo, and the opening date of the business.*

*If a large business identification sign contains an advertisement for a new business, no real estate sign shall be allowed in front of the building, lot or parcel, or placed on the construction barricade.

In addition to the one permitted large business identification sign, small additional business identification signs are also permitted under the following conditions:

One sign may be placed on each side of the construction barricade, perpendicular to the street façade, facing a sidewalk or other pedestrian access through the barricade.

The signs may state only the name of the business and the fact that it is open for business during the remodeling.

These signs shall not exceed two (2) square feet in area. For example, a 2’x1’ sign would be okay, but a 2’x2 sign’ would not.

Approved Plans, Issued Permits, Inspection Record Card, and other approved construction documents shall be maintained on the construction site at all times and shall be made readily available for the City Building Official, Building Inspectors, or designated representatives.

A screened security fence shall be installed on all construction projects. Fences shall comply with the following requirements and these requirements shall be detailed on the fencing plan submitted for permit.

A six (6) foot high chain link fence with a mesh screen cover of a neutral color (e.g. green) shall be placed around the entire perimeter of the site.

The fence shall be placed on or adjacent to the property line on all sides of the property. The side of the chain link fence facing the street shall be setback two (2) feet from any property line with a street front.

A three (3) foot pedestrian gate access door shall be placed swinging into the property from the alley. In the case that there is not an alley, the pedestrian gate shall be placed where access is provided from the street front of the property.

A rolling gate shall be placed as an opening in the fence wherever there is a driveway approach entering the lot. The size of the gate shall not be larger in width than that of the driveway. The rolling gate door shall not be of the swinging type.

Any landscaping in the front yard setback and parkway shall be maintained throughout the course of construction.

The landscaping in the front yard setback and parkway shall be maintained by an automatic irrigation system.

Trees located on the sidewalk or parkway directly in front of a construction site must be protected from being damaged by construction activity. Native and Heritage trees located on private property are also required to be protected on private property. Protection of trees must be in accordance with an arborist’s recommendation for the specified tree species found on the project.

Trees are required to be protected from construction activities during the duration of the construction project

Changing, damaging, moving, trimming, or generally interfering with trees on public property, including parkways, is prohibited

A screened security fence shall be installed on all construction projects. Fences shall comply with the following requirements and these requirements shall be detailed on the fencing plan submitted for permit. (Beverly Hills Municipal Code 10-3-4203, 10-3-2905)

Building and Safety provides contractors with the following checklist to assist in proper site maintenance throughout the duration of construction. It is the responsibility of the property owner and general contractor to maintain a clean and orderly property throughout any construction activity. This checklist contains the most common issues related to construction sites.

It is required that all construction sites maintain water service to the project during all phases to mitigate dust and maintain the public parkway landscape.

Important Note: It is the owner's and/or general contractor's responsibility to have the appropriate water source sized to provide the demanded needs of the proposed project. Projects with grading and compaction may required larger sized water sources.

The following requirements apply to all construction projects in the city and must apply at the time of demolition or the beginning of construction until a certificate of occupancy is received:

Sediment, construction waste, and other pollutants from construction sites and parking areas must be kept on the site as much as possible.

Any sediment or other materials not kept on the site must be removed the same day, unless the director of the department of public works approves installation of a temporary sediment barrier.

Only in the case of an emergency, a plastic covering may be used to prevent erosion of an unprotected area, along with runoff devices to safely divert the runoff.

Dug-up soil must be located on the site in a way that minimizes the amount of sediments running into the street or neighboring properties. Soil piles must be covered until the soil is either used or removed.

Washing construction or other vehicles next to a construction site is prohibited. No water from washing vehicles on a construction site is allowed to run off into the city’s storm drain system.

Drainage controls must be used as needed, depending on the extend of proposed grading and topography of the site, such as:

“Porta Potty”, Portable Toilet Facilities Required During Construction. Before the start of construction of any building or structure, and before any remodel where all toilet facilities are temporarily removed, a temporary water-flushed or approved chemical toilet shall be installed for the use of the workers and shall comply with all of the following requirements:

Such temporary toilet shall be maintained throughout the construction of the building or structure;

If a water-flushed toilet is used, such toilet shall be connected to the sewer, and tile pipe without a vent may be used for the installation;

Such temporary toilet shall be located within twenty-five (25') feet of the rear property line and shall be set back at least twenty (20) feet from any other property line unless the city building official approves an alternate location because the requirements of this subsection prevent servicing the toilet or are otherwise infeasible;

Such temporary toilet shall not be located on public property without the approval of the director of public works.

The City approved construction parking plan must be followed at every stage of construction. Special equipment and deliveries must drive entirely on site to load and unload. If site conditions do not permit on site deliveries a Street Use Permit is required.

Construction project related vehicles are not allowed to park on streets of residential zones and must conform to the City-approved construction parking plan which may require shuttling plans.

All roofing materials for City of Beverly Hills properties are required to be fire retardant Class A. Provisions in the code require all properties to have Class A roof materials installed by July 1, 2013.

Equipment Enclosures. Operating equipment, including associated ducting, located on the roof of a building shall be enclosed so as to be shielded from view in a horizontal plane or lower and so as to comply with the noise abatement provisions of Chapter 1 of Title 5 of the Beverly Hills Municipal Code. The enclosure finish shall match that of the building exterior walls. Enclosures on buildings with non-residential uses shall be of non-combustible, opaque material.

Before a permit can be issued for the alteration/repair/rehabilitation of a building which required an applicant to prepare a construction means and method plan pursuant to section 302.2.2 of this chapter, the applicant must certify that all tenants of the property will receive the information required by subsection (b) of this section, in a form approved by the city, within ten days following the issuance of the permit and that no work will commence under the permit until ten days after all tenants are notified. This notice shall either be hand-delivered to each tenant of the property or sent by certified mail, return receipt requested.

Special Inspections. The special inspector shall be a qualified person who shall demonstrate competence to the satisfaction of the Director of Building and Safety, for inspecting the particular type of construction or operation requiring special inspections, and shall possess a current certification by an agency approved by the city.

For all new construction and when required by the city, a licensed surveyor must certify that the location of the footing forms is per the approved plans before foundations can be poured. The surveyor must provide a plot plan showing precise dimensions to the property lines and the elevation of the forms as compared with the reference elevation shown on the approved plans.

For all new construction and when required by the city, a licensed surveyor must certify that the height of the building is in accordance with the approved plans. The surveyor must show the precise height of the building as compared with the reference elevation shown on the approved plans.

An approved weatherproofing consultant must certify the installation of weatherproofing on all retaining walls which are adjacent to interior areas of the building. The consultant will not be required if the installer is certified in writing by the manufacturer.

For all new construction and when required by the city, an approved weatherproofing consultant must certify that the weatherproofing elements of the building have been installed in accordance with the approved plans, all relevant codes, and per manufacturers specifications. At a minimum, an inspection and report will be required before plastering begins and before final approval is granted.

Bonds Required. The City Building Official may require the posting of a bond prior to issuance of a permit where the nature of the work, if commenced and allowed to remain in an uncompleted state, would create a hazard to human life or endanger adjoining or other property, any street or street improvement, or any other public property. The bond shall be in an amount sufficient to cover the cost of eliminating any dangerous condition or geological hazard if the project is not properly performed or is not completed in a timely manner. The bond shall comply with the provisions of Title 3, chapter 4 of the Beverly Hills municipal code.

Temporary Certificate. If the Director of Building and Safety finds that no substantial hazard will result from occupancy of any building or portion thereof before the same is completed, the Director may issue a temporary certificate of occupancy for the use of a portion or portions of a building or structure prior to the completion of the entire building or structure; provided a cash deposit is made in accordance with section 310. Applications for a temporary certificate of occupancy shall be submitted with the required fee in accordance with city council resolution and shall be paid prior to issuance.

Swimming Pool Enclosure. It shall be unlawful for any person, within the city, to construct, install or maintain in the city a swimming pool or excavation unless the same is enclosed or protected from entrance thereto by the following protective facilities or by other facilities equally sufficient for the purpose of protecting the public, particularly children, from the hazards of swimming pools and excavations. All swimming pools and excavations shall be enclosed by a fence or wall not less than five (5') feet in height above the underlying ground. Walls of dwelling and accessory buildings may be used to form part of the enclosure herein above required.